Resistance welding electrode



y 1 1934- E. W/BREMER 1,959,154

RESISTANCE WELDING ELECTRODE Filed D80. 14, 1933 'IZ. v

fig; Fig.4

INVENTOR.

A TTORNEYJE Patented May 15, 1934 1 7 1,959,154 assfs'ranon WELDING ELECTRODE Edmund W.

Hudson County,

Bremer,' Weehawken Township, N. J.,- assignor to Electroloy Company, Inc., a corporationot New Jersey Application December 14,1933, Serial No. 702,318

8 Claim.

This invention relates to electrical resistance welding and more particularly to an improvement in resistance, welding dies for butt and flash welding and electrodes for projection welding and splines for'seam welding, of which thefollowing isa description.

The principle involved in the art of electrical resistance welding is that of causing currents of electricity to pass through the pieces of metal which are to be welded, thereby generating heat at the point of contact, which also becomes the point of greatest resistance, while atthe same time mechanical pressure is applied to force the parts together. As the current heats the metal at the junctions to the welding temperature-tine pressure follows up the softeningssurface until a complete union or'weld is effected.

Therefore, the dies and electrodes conducting the current to the pieces being Welded must be made of a material which is a good electrical conductor. In addition these dies and electrodes serve to either clamp or apply the necessary pressure to the pieces being welded and must be made of a material to withstand tremendous pressures.

Heretofore, the copper dies and electrodes used for the purpose of conducting the electrical current and applying the pressure to the pieces being welded would deform very rapidly and necessitate their re-machining to their original shape. The metal alloy electrodes which have'been used prior to this invention have been found somewhat useful but in many instances prohibited their use.

in accordance with the present invention, an alloy is formed of copper and beryllium in the proportions of 97.75% by weight of copper and 2.25% by weight of beryllium. The electrical conductivity after age hardening or heat treating should not be less than 4.0% of that of copper. The Rockwell hardness after -cold working and heat treating is found to be not less than 112 on the 13 scale, using diameter steel ball and a 100 kilogram load. Welding dies and electrodes either made entirely of this alloy or faced with this alloy are found to have. a life of from 10 to times that oicopper.

For reference of the method of application of this alloy on dies, electrodes and splines for resistance welding, the following is a detailed description taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, in which Fig. 1 is a perspective view of flash welding die.

55 Fig. 2 is a perspective view of a typical butt or atypical butt or sheets 20. and 21 being their costs have flash welding die, faced with an alloy of the present invention;

Fig. 3 is a side elevation view showing the application of the alloy as a facing material on projection welding electrodes.

Fig. 4 isa front elevation view illustrating the application of the alloy as an insert in a spline for seam or line welding.

In Fig. l, the entire butt or flash welding die is made from the present alloy and the electrical .conductive surface and pressure'suriace is shown In Fig. 2, of a butt or flash welding die, the electrical conductive surface and pressure surface 6 is applied as a facing 7 made'from the 9 present alloy and attached either mechanically or brazed.

In Fig. 3 is described a set of projection wel electrodes, & upper, 9 lower. The electrical con-- ductive surface and pressure surface of 8 is shown I as 10 and likewise of 9 is shown-as 11. The upper electrode 8 is faced with the present alloy 12 and likewise of 9 is shown as 13-. The sheets 14 and 15 being projection welded by applying the necessary current and pressure to 8 and 9.

In Fig. d, of an electrical seam welding application 16 describes the seam welding roll and i7 the spline. Ihe electrical conductive surface and pressure surfaceof the spline i7 is shown as it, this being inserted with the present alloy d9. The

seam welded by applying the necessary current and pressure to 15 and 17.

As aforementioned, the present invention of using an alloy of beryllium and copper together in the proportions of 97.75% of copper by weight and 2.25% beryllium by weight there are instances where these percentages may be varied somewhat withoutv departing from the scope of the invention. For example, the percentages may be varied from 99% copper by weight and 1% beryllium by weight to 97% copper by weight and 3% beryllium by weight. As the alloy of beryllium and copper has the characteristics of being a heat/treatable copper 1w alloy, it is-sometlmesnecessary in the instances, where this alloy is used a s. facinglfor'butt and flash welding, dies. and projection welding electrodes and as an insert for seam welding splines that the facings be attached lay silver brazing to the dies and electrodes in its annealed state and thereafter heat treat the entire die or electrode to obtain the necessary hardness and conductivity.

In the instances where the entire die or electrodeis made entirely of this alloy the necessary man I chine work is accomplished and then the entire die or electrode is heat treated.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure byLetters Patent is:

1. A resistance welding electrode formed from an alloy containing 97.75% copper by weight and 2.25 beryllium by weight for butt and flash welding and projection welding and splines for seam welding.

.2. A resistance welding electrode formed from an alloy containing 97.75% copper by weight and 2.25% beryllium by weight cold worked and heat treated to produce a minimum Rockwell hardness of on the fB scale, using diameter steel ball with kilogram load for butt and flash welding, and projection welding and splines for seam welding.

3. A resistance welding electrode formed from an alloy containing not less than 1% beryllium by weight and 99% copper by weight for butt and V flash welding and projection welding, and splines for seam welding.

4. A resistance weldingelectrode formed from an alloy containing not more than 3% beryllium by weight and 97% copper by weight for butt and flash welding and projection welding, and splines for seam welding.

' '5. A resistance welding electrode facing formed from an alloy con not less than 1% beryllium by weight and 99% copper by weight for butt and flash welding and projection welding, and splines for seam welding.

c 6. A resistance welding electrode facing formedi'rom an alloy containing not more than 3% beryllium by weight and 97% copper by weight for butt and flash welding and projection welding, and splines for seam welding.

7. A resistance welding electrode formed from an alloy containing beryllium by weight and from about 0.1 to 0.025 per cent nickel by weight and 98.9 per cent copper by weight for butt and flash welding and projection welding, and splines'ior seam welding.

8. A resistance welding electrode formed from an alloy containing not more than 3 per cent beryllium by weight and from about 0.1 to 0.025 per cent nickel by weight and 96.9 per cent copper by weight for butt and flash welding and projection welding, and splines for seam welding.

EDMUND W. BREMER.

notless than 1 per cent 

